Coronavirus Gold Coast: Business leaders fume as wait for border answers drags on

Gold Coast small business operators yesterday lurched from excitement at the Prime Minister green-lighting more patrons - to fury as Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk stalled on the recommendation.

GOLD Coast small business operators yesterday lurched from excitement at the Prime Minister green-lighting more patrons - to fury as Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk stalled on the recommendation.

Prime Minister Scott Morrison told the nation crippling COVID-19 restrictions would continue to ease despite an ongoing Victorian outbreak after yesterday’s National Cabinet with state Premiers.

Australian Prime Minister Scott Morrison. (AAP Image/Lukas Coch)

He cited national medical advice was to ease the one patron per four square metre rule down to two square metres for “small” venues of 100 sqm area.

For many operators on the Gold Coast, that will double their customer numbers but celebrations were short-lived.

It rests on Ms Palaszczuk who last night was tight-lipped on her plans and when it would kick in for Queensland, saying “all matters will be considered at the end of the month”.

Some of the Coast’s leading hospitality providers welcomed the prospective easing but were furious there was no immediate clarification by her.

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Queensland Premier Annastacia Palaszczuk (AAP Image/Dan Peled)

Costa D’Oro Italian restaurant owner Nuccia Fusco went from saying she was cartwheeling with joy to fuming at the Premier’s stall: “I can’t believe it. What is she waiting for? Isn’t there only two active cases in all of Queensland?

“We all want the borders open, however I understand why she would like to keep them closed with what’s going on in Victoria, but at least open Queensland for Queenslanders without restrictions.

“The end of the month is only a few days away so fingers crossed she makes the right decision otherwise I have a feeling that all hospitality on the Gold Coast will go crazy.”

“The four square metre rule means we can only use one quarter of our space so it’s like we’re paying four times the rent.

Nuccia Fusco of Costa D'Oro Italian restaurant in Surfers Paradise. Picture: Tertius Pickard.

“The two square metre rule will help tremendously. We can still keep 1.5m between tables, sanitise after each sitting, record everybody’s details and do double the amount of people.

“It will mean we can employ all our staff again and finally start making some profit to recover some of what we’ve lost.’’

Moo Moo Wine Bar and Grill owner Steven Adams said the Prime Minister’s directive “was great news”.

“The amount (of people) we’ve been able to sit we didn’t feel was enough,” he said.

“We’ve been able to sit everyone in an organised, safe manner – and we still felt we could fit more people in an organised, safe manner.”

Mr Morrison said he expected Queensland’s border to reopen July 10, as earmarked in the Queensland Government road map, while potentially excluding Melbourne hotspots with cases rising.

“As far as I’m aware, the date is July 10. If there’s any change, that’s something the Premier would advise,” he said.

Every other premier and chief minister, excluding Victoria’s Daniel Andrews and Ms Palaszczuk, stood up and addressed their state yesterday, either before or after the National Cabinet meeting.

Gold Coast business, city and tourism leaders have grown critical of border restrictions. Federal data shows the border block, also causing havoc for closely connected but now separated Tweed and Coolangatta communities, is costing 1000 jobs a week and $147 million in economic loss across the state.

The Gold Coast’s lifeblood tourism and hospitality sectors have been decimated by axed domestic-international travel.

Mayor Tom Tate said Mr Morrison’s patron easing directive would give struggling traders a boost: “Every day we see another small sign the world is returning to normal. If the health advice is this is safe, let’s continue to open up local businesses as soon as possible so they can get staff back on deck and start humming.”

Mr Morrison said international travel was unlikely to resume for a year excluding NZ and other Pacific nations. He praised Australia for flattening the curve and keeping it flat while globally the virus intensity was “escalating”.

Queensland Tourism Minister, Kate Jones (Photo by Chris Hyde/Getty Images)

State Tourism Minister Kate Jones said the Victorian outbreaks were concerning. “What we’re seeing in Victoria is a spike in cases, which is already leading to their premier having to make decisions about shutting things down.

“We don’t want to have to open up, shut down, open up and then shut down again.”

Asked how devastating it would be for businesses to not get clarity on the border by the end of the month, she said: “These are extremely tough times, unprecedented times.

“This is the complete shutdown of the tourism industry. But you only have to look at what’s happening globally, at America (where) there are still hundreds dying. We’re not out of the woods. These continue to be tough times. I understand that as minister and I’ll continue to work with tourism operators.”